NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki continued with its aggressive positioning as it drove in upgraded version of the Swift, pricing the base petrol version higher by Rs 13,000 and diesel by Rs 18,000 from the existing Swift models.
The new Swift, which sports upgrades to the interior as well as on the exterior, comes strapped with an improved petrol engine that churns out a tad higher power and offers more fuel efficiency . The base petrol variant is now priced at Rs 4.22 lakh, while the entry-level diesel variant will cost Rs 5.17 lakh (all ex-showroom , Delhi). However, the engine capacities remain the same - petrol at 1,200cc and diesel at 1,300cc.
The company chose not to tamper much with the retail pricing, keeping in mind the overall slowdown, rising interest rates and fall in demand, coupled with increasing competition. Company executives pointed to the "general negative sentiment" among customers, and said an aggressive pricing was a key to convert more inquiries into sales.
The company said it expects incremental volumes for the Swift after the new version . "We had a monthly average of 10,000-12 ,000 units last year. With the new model, we hope to take this up to 16,000-18 ,000 units monthly," Shinzo Nakanishi, MD of Maruti Suzuki , said.
He, however, refused to divulge on when an upgraded version of the Dzire (Swift sedan ) will be available.
Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer (sales & marketing), said the car market was likely to pick up pace by the festival season around October. The company had cut production in August to align it to a subdued market, but Pareek said that output will be boosted now. Car sales in the domestic market fell by 16% in July as steeper borrowing costs and high petrol prices, at a time of high inflation, kept customers away from showrooms . All the top three carmakers - Maruti, Hyundai and Tata - posted negative numbers in the month.
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